We Could Be Stars
by jaeger-soul
Summary: Companion anniversary piece to my fic, Stay. This is the ending of chapter 27 through Danny's eyes. Out of context, this won't make any sense. Check my profile for the full story.


**A/N:**

 **Hey! Thanks for checking this out! Like the summary says, this is a companion piece to the Danny Phantom fic, Stay. It was written to celebrate the anniversary of Stay – I've been posting it for a year now!**

 **Thank you for your support and I really appreciate you checking this side piece out. Consider leaving a comment telling me your thoughts, I'd love that!**

* * *

This past weekend was perfect. I immediately regretted my decision to come the second I let Dash talk me into it but I ended up having more fun that I thought I would. Not to mention it was better for me than spending another weekend cooped up inside. I got away from my parents and their crushing worry about me. I got away from Amity Park and all the stupid things there, and I even managed to ignore my cell phone until Tucker called me on the way back from Elemerton.

Dash is driving me back to Amity Park and our conversation is pretty easy-going until he mentions anxiety. My hands ball into fists at my sides, instantly prepared to argue, until I remember that this is Dash I'm talking to. Dash, the high-school quarterback with a heart of gold. The same Dash that's one of the kindest people I've met and for some reason, doesn't even see it. The boy that's thinks so little of himself, he's afraid to accept that these anxious feelings he has aren't his fault.

"Yeah?" I prompt into the silence. I watch the way his fingers tremble just slightly against the steering wheel. He stares out the windshield like he's trying to convince himself to keep talking instead of shoving it all back inside again. _You can do it, Dash. I'm safe to talk to… just let me in._

He clears his throat and won't look at me when he speaks but I still take it as a victory. "I-I know you're on medication but before that… is there anything you did to… make it easier?"

I lean back in my seat, turning my stare out the windshield too. Dash is a lot braver than I was. I never asked anyone for help, I just kept suffering until I wound up in the hospital cause of a panic attack that neither one of my parents knew what to do about. I just wanted to ignore the problem and pretend it wasn't happening but after a few appointments with my doctor, I was prescribed medication and since then, things have gotten easier. Even if I did have to argue with my parents at first about taking something to help me, at least Jazz was always on my side.

"Before I was put on medication, I didn't really know what to do. I just focused on putting one foot in front of the other. Getting from one day to the next." I pull my gaze from staring out when Dash looks my way again and offer up a shrug. "It's probably not the healthiest way to go about it but it's all I knew how to do," I say, nodding out the windshield before he has a chance to miss the turn. "My car's still at the school if you don't mind dropping me off there."

Dash silently switches lanes and I sink my teeth into my bottom lip, afraid I screwed up by interrupting his thoughts in the middle of this conversation. There's no telling how long it's taken him to work up the nerve to talk about this.

"Point is…" I continue, carefully watching him before I slouch down further in my seat, exhaling out a breath. "There's a dozen different ways you can make it easier. For me, there were places I just wouldn't go because they made me too anxious. It's why I was excused from PE in the seventh grade."

He glances toward me and I'm quick to give him a smile and immediately start rambling. It's apparently the only thing that my brain can focus on while I'm staring into his eyes. "My friend Tucker really thought it was unfair that I didn't have to run or play dodgeball like the rest of the class did but I just couldn't handle even the idea of it. So, my dad talked to the principal and I didn't have to go anymore."

Dash slowly nods before he looks away from me again, turning into the school's parking lot. He looks so lost in his mind, I don't want to interrupt him but I'm still wracking my brain to come up with a way to make sure he knows that talking to me was a good idea. He can definitely trust me with this kind of stuff.

He coasts to a stop a few parking spaces down from where I parked my car on Friday. He seems to hesitate for a second or two before he kills the engine but he gets out of his car when I open the passenger door.

I move to the back of his car and wait until he unlocks the trunk before I open it to get my bag out. I sling it onto my shoulder and slam the trunk closed again, letting out a soft breath. Though I'm more hesitant than I should be, I still manage to give him a smile when I look at him.

"Thanks… for convincing me to come, Dash. I had a lot of fun." I flick my gaze to the sky above us, already anticipating the next few clear nights the weather channel is forecasting. The more opportunities to stargaze, the better.

I look back at Dash, the smile on my face feeling more genuine the longer I think about getting back outside with my telescope. "I'll see you tomorrow?" I hesitantly ask, still wondering if I upset him in the car when I interrupted the conversation by mentioning where to drop me off. I really hope he didn't see it that way…

Dash stares back at me for a few seconds and I can only imagine what's running through his mind. What kind of things does someone so kind but so broken think about?

"Yeah, man, 'course," he says, his throat bobbing as he swallows. I watch the movement longer than I probably should and when I feel the heat starting at the back of my neck, I force myself to nod and start away from him.

I feel good about how this weekend went. I really checked out from all the shit in my life and just focused on who I was around and living in the moment. I got so drunk on Friday, I barely remember the night and even though I had such a headache the morning after, it was worth it. I haven't felt this light in years.

"Hey… Danny?" Dash calls and I turn to look at him, one-handedly unlocking my trunk. I tilt my head to one side in question but he doesn't say anything. I glance back at my car, ditching my bag inside the trunk and slamming the door closed before I take a step closer to Dash.

I fold my arms over my chest and lift my gaze to his. "Yeah?" I feel self-conscious under his stare and again, I wonder what he's thinking. He tears his gaze away from me and scuffs the ground with the toe of his shoe, looking so lost in thought I have to bite the inside of my cheek cause of how cute it is. His eyebrows are drawn down and he looks like he's attempting to burn a hole in the pavement with his stare but something about it is so adorable on him.

He begins slowly, his words a little stilted when he first starts, but I do my best to encourage him to keep going just using my body language.

"The first night we uh… the first night we spent at the beach, you got really drunk," he says softly, his voice hitching toward the end. I try to figure out why he's bringing this up but I don't want to interrupt him. From the way he's struggling on the words, he'd probably stop talking if I speak at all.

Dash lets out a breath and turns his stare to the parking lot. I try to stay quiet, to just give him the space that he needs but I can't help myself. I open my mouth to say something just as he looks back at me again. I end up raising an eyebrow, more out of surprise than anything else.

"You puked all over yourself and I helped you change into something else to sleep in," he continues, his voice gaining strength as I lose it. My heart starts pounding and I feel my eyes widen as I'm stuck staring at him while he says the thing I've been terrified about hearing someone say since sophomore year. "Danny… I-I saw the bruises."

We're trapped just staring at each other in the silence as I try to decide the best way to react to this. My stomach feels like it's dropped onto the pavement and I slowly draw in a breath, looking away from him.

"Fuck," I mumble, looking up at the sky as I exhale out. I sort of forgot the bruises were still there. No one was supposed to see them... Not mom or dad, or anyone at school, or Dash… especially not Dash.

I wish there was something I could say, some way to make him believe anything other than the truth, but I can't come up with anything. The fear of anyone finding out about everything that happened during sophomore year keeps me silent and I hesitantly look back to Dash, attempting to play this off so I don't have a panic attack in the middle of this conversation.

"Long story. I'd tell you but you probably wouldn't believe me." I force a grin onto my face and the second he sees the action, I know he doesn't believe it's real. I don't know why I expected him to. It's pretty obvious that it's not.

He shrugs. "I'm pretty open-minded."

 _Shit. That's not how this conversation is supposed to go. You're supposed to just believe me or at the very least, give up after a few seconds._

I let out a controlled breath, biting hard on the inside of my cheek for a few seconds afterward. I shake my head, trying as hard as I can to stop this conversation from happening. "I don't feel like telling the whole thing again. It's pretty long and I don't know about you but I'm exhausted."

After a second of silence, I gesture to my car and turn away from him. I pray to anyone that's listening that he just lets me get in my car and he doesn't guess the truth. I can't have him realize what the hell happened, why I'm bruised, why I don't want to talk about it. I _can't_ talk about it, no way can I talk about it, I-

"I know it's your parents," Dash suddenly says, his voice steady on the words. _What the hell?_

I turn around to face him, knowing that the expression on my face probably lets him know exactly what I'm thinking. "What the hell are you talking about?" I ask, trying to keep the frustration from my voice. I've been so terrified that he'd figure out the reason why and yet… he thinks it's my _parents_? He honestly thinks that Jack and Maddie Fenton are abusing their poor anxious son? That's so far from reality, I can barely wrap my head around how the hell he came to that conclusion.

He's quiet as I turn my gaze out into the parking lot and clench my hands at my sides, trying to keep calm before I look back at him. This is just one conversation, I can handle that. "You've got it… so wrong, Dash. My parents have nothing to do with this."

"Really?" he demands, taking a step toward me. His body language reads like he's not backing down and it makes my heart seize. "If it's such a great story, let me hear it then. Let me hear the lie you've come up with to explain away the damage your parents did."

What the hell is he going on about? The damage my parents have done? Explain it away? He's got it completely wrong, I've had to explain away the bruises _to_ my parents before. I try to interject, let him know that he couldn't be more wrong but he cuts me off before I can get out more than a word.

"Danny, I know it's them. I get it, okay? I'm not about to judge you or any of that shit. I know that some parents can be fucking insane." His voice is almost tender and the way he takes a step toward me is probably meant to be kind, or encouraging, but I have to keep distance between us.

I try to move away from him but I don't get more than one step backward before my back is against my car and the tension in my gut climbs higher at the feeling of being trapped like this. "Dash, I'm telling you, it's not them." I try to make myself seem stronger, less like there are tears pricking at the corners of my eyes and I widen them in an attempt to stave off the water-works.

"You don't have to lie to me," Dash says gently, taking a step closer to me. He's so close and I'm trying not to panic because he's just being nice. In a way, he's incredibly kind for trying to have this conversation with me. If I wasn't this close to panicking, I think I'd be better at handling this. "You can tell me the truth, Danny. You're still the same person to me."

 _Shit. No, I'm not. I won't be. Not when he finds out the truth. He'll go away from me and I'll be alone and I_ really _don't want to be alone. Not anymore._

I close my eyes, trying to fight back against the tears gathering underneath my lids. I don't want to cry about this again. I spent too many nights sobbing into my pillow so my parents wouldn't hear to be tearing up like this.

"N-No, Dash. I-I can't tell you. They're not… m-my parents aren't bad people, I promise you that," I mumble past the lump in my throat. I don't want him finding out the truth but I don't want him thinking my parents had anything to do with this either. Even though it's been rocky between mom and I since this semester started, I know my parents still care about me. A lot more than Dash thinks they do.

My eyes flutter open when he gets closer to me and I look up at him. He leans forward and braces his hands against my car on either side of my head. I'm frozen, just watching him as I bite down on my lip, finally shaking my head to try to beg him not to ask me anything else. I can't do this. I can't have this conversation.

"Danny… are your parents abusing you?" he asks, his voice soft and gentle on the question. I hate the way it makes tears spring to my eyes as if he was right. He couldn't be further from the truth but I'm terrified that he'll figure out what the truth really is. Just by looking in my eyes. Or examining my skin for the cracks I know are still there from that horrible year of my life. "It's gonna be okay, you can tell me."

I can't tell him anything. It's too much shit. He'll leave, or he'll hate me and I really don't want him to hate me. He's forced me to be around people more often than I've been since sophomore year and I've really missed this. I've kept myself shut up inside the house for too long and Dash has dragged me out of that so many times, I'm starting to like the taste of interacting again instead of just suffering through it. I don't want to lose this.

I drag in a breath that trembles and I know he notices. I press my back against the car as far as I can, keeping as much distance between us as possible. "N-No, they're not." I exhale out and it's even shakier than my inhale. The tears are gathered in the corners of my eyes again and I try to blink them away before I start because once I start, I'll relive every painful moment and I'll be able to convince myself to hide away again. "P-Please, Dash, they're not. I promise. P-Please believe me."

He shakes his head and I feel a piece of my heart break away. "I can't. I'm sorry, but I can't."

What am I supposed to do now? He doesn't believe me. It won't be long until he figures out the truth behind the bruises across my chest and when he does… I'll be alone again. I don't want to be but… it's better than anyone ever realizing why I'm still so broken.

"Th-Then I can't do this," I practically whisper, managing to duck under his arm and head for the driver's side of my car. Dash trails after me but I'm faster and I get into the front seat just as he reaches me. He puts his hand on the inside of my door and prevents me from closing it.

I look up at him, almost begging him to just let me go home and forget that this ever happened. I don't want to say goodbye to him but… he'll figure it out anyway. Eventually, he and his friends will find out the truth and I'll be a target on their list. I don't want Dash to hate me but I can't stick around and wait for that to happen.

"Dash, p-please don't text me anymore." I turn away from him, keeping my gaze on the steering wheel instead, buckling my seatbelt to busy my hands. I don't want to see the expression on his face or the look in his eyes as he tries to get me to open up and talk about my non-abusive parents. I don't understand why he's so fixated on that being the reason behind the bruises. The longer I think about it, the more the tears threaten to spill over until I just can't take it anymore and I close my eyes, allowing them to finally escape my eyes and run down my cheeks.

I look to him again, hoping for him to take back what he said or change his mind or _something_ other than what he's doing. Just staring at me. Like he's trying to come up with a way to make me tell him the truth. For half a second of crazy, I consider _telling_ him the truth. Just getting it over with so he can hate me for eternity and I won't have to wait for the day to come any longer. But that second passes just as he starts to speak.

"I'm-"

I lean forward and grab the door, tugging it away from him before I slam it closed. I start the engine and do my best to block out everything he's trying to say to me through the glass. I focus on pulling out of the parking lot and away from him. Away from the first person I've willingly hung around in a long time. The one person I wanted to let in on all this shit… God, I think I'm really gonna miss him.

* * *

The tears that have come and gone multiple times on my drive home have mostly subsided by the time I pull up outside my house. Mom and dad are both home, their cars parked on one side of the driveway. I kill the engine on my car and let out a long breath.

Dash was so determined that it had something to do with my parents no matter what I tried to tell him. It's not like my parents and I never argue or disagree but… they've never once hurt me like Dash seems to think they have.

After sparing my reflection one final glance to make sure the earlier crying isn't still obvious on my face, I open my car door and climb out. I get my bag from the trunk before I lock my car back, starting up the driveway.

I dig my key out to let myself in and do my best to keep quiet as I creep through the foyer. My dad has ears that could hear a pin drop from a mile away so he immediately calls my name and I let out a curse under my breath. I'm not really in the mindset to talk to anyone right now.

"Yeah, dad?" I ask, kicking my shoes off. I only keep my bag on my shoulder as an excuse to escape to my room in case he wants to talk. At least it'll buy me a few minutes alone.

I wander into the kitchen and see both mom and dad, chopping up whatever it is they're making for dinner. I want to ask if they need help or tell them that I missed them while I was away but I don't. I just lean against the nearest wall and watch them work. How can Dash believe that these two would ever lay a finger on me?

Dad glances over his shoulder and notices me leaning against the wall. He smiles, wiping his hands on a towel before he crosses the room to me. He pulls me into a hug and I turn my cheek against his chest. He gently rubs my back and I feel some of the tension from the conversation earlier slowly leave me.

"You okay, kiddo?" dad asks, continuing to gently rub circles on my back in the silence.

I shrug one shoulder, not ready to get into it but not willing to lie about it either. He tsks softly and leans down to plant a kiss to my head before he pulls away to look at me, his hands resting on my shoulders.

"Something I need to handle?" he asks, a disguised question of if this is something I can deal with on my own or if it's like it was in sophomore year.

I shake my head, gesturing to my bag. "No, I'm fine. I'm gonna go put this away," I mumble, turning to go when he nods. I get about two steps out of the kitchen when I hear mom call my name. I hesitate for a second before I turn back to her.

She watches me in silence for a beat before she sets down her knife and wipes her hands, crossing over to me. I match her pace and we meet in between the edge of the kitchen and the stove. There's hesitation in both of us but she wraps me up in a hug. It's awkward at first but it doesn't take long for us to adjust to each other again.

"I'm glad you had fun, baby," she murmur's, planting a kiss to my forehead before she pulls away. "Even if you-"

"Maddie," dad calls, giving her a look. She meets his gaze before surrendering, easily returning to chopping vegetables. Dad looks back at me and waves me off before I have the chance to mention leaving again. Fine by me, I need some time alone.

Once I'm in my room, I ditch my bag on the floor by my bed. I glance in the general direction of my computer but I don't feel like turning it on. Actually, I don't feel like doing anything. So I crawl onto my bed and stretch out, closing my eyes to the silence surrounding me.

This weekend wasn't supposed to end like it did. I was supposed to come home and be happy that I went. Not regretting every second of it and reliving things I should never have to think about. I know Dash was trying to help me but… I really wish he hadn't.

I roll over and tug my phone from my pocket. I want to call him, tell him to forget what I said about not texting me and ask him to stay my friend cause he's all I've really got. I want to be friends with him but… what's the point? He has better things to do and eventually, he'd find out the truth about the bruises. It's better off if we just stop talking now. What chance did I ever have of convincing him to stick around anyway?

After all, I knew it couldn't last.

* * *

 **A/N:**

 **Yooo! You finally get Danny's POV! Is it everything you've wondered about? ;p (I'm aware that I'm a giant tease and I apologize for NOTHING)**

 **The title of this fic comes from the song "Stars" by Alessia Cara. Give it a listen if you haven't before, it's really good and I feel like it fits the theme of not only this fic but Dash and Danny throughout Stay as well.**

 **Again, thanks for checking this out. I'd love to know your thoughts in the comments. They really mean the world to me. I still can't believe that I've been writing and posting Stay for a year now. Your support is everything.**

 **Thank you, I can't say that enough. I'll see you guys on Tuesday for more of the regularly scheduled angst.**


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